Have a good one and don't be knocked over the test last week… I know you will do well in this and you will surprise yourself. 

Staffordshire for this race its the Wiggle Enduro 6 at Catton Hall part of Debbie's prep for the Mayhem. details below

Viewed by many as the only way to start the season & blow away the winter cobwebs. Wiggle Enduro 6 returns to Catton Hall for another classic 6 hour challenge. Soloists & pairs aim to complete as many laps of the 6 mile course in 6 hours. But there’s a twist. Enduro 6 is a ‘parc ferme’ event, meaning that once the races starts riders have to be totally self sufficient, being given a pit area to put all their spares & supplies in to see them through the day.

On top of that we also have the Night Time Time-Trial on the Saturday night, where riders are set off at two minute intervals in a sprint to complete a single of the Wiggle Enduro 6 Hr course as quickly as possible.

About Enduro 6

Saturday 31st April 2011

10.00 – 18.00 Mountain Bike Races Registration Open

Every competitor must sign on in the catering tent, collect your race number and helpers number, Champion Chip Timing Chip and T-shirt if you ordered one. Make a note of your allocated Pit Number.

13.30 – 19.00  Wiggle Enduro 6 Hr Mountain Bike Course open for inspection
The course will be fully marked and open for inspection. Please note  marshals may not be in position.

20.00 onwards –  Night-time Time Trial
Riders are set off individually at two minute intervals and must complete one lap of the 6 mile Wiggle Enduro Six Hr course in the shortest time possible. Start times will be posted in registration. Lights are compulsory for this event.

Sunday 1st May 2011

07.00 – 08.30 Registration & Pits Open

09.00 – Pre-Race briefing at the finish/start line

10.00 – Wiggle Enduro 6 MTB Race
500 competitors will test themselves around a 6mile course of undulating terrain to see how many laps they can fit into the 6 hours.
The race will start with a short Le-Mans style run. The unique ‘parc ferme’ format means that riders are allocated a pit area to keep everything they need for the duration of the race. Once the race starts the pits are secured.

16.00 – Race End Complete your lap
The last rider should finish around 16.40.

17.20 (approx) – Prize Giving for Enduro 6 & Time-Trial
Prizes will be awarded to the top three in each category. We invite all the competitors to stay and show their support for the category winners.

Venue Information
Catton Park in Staffordshire is a first class venue with an established track record of endurance mountain biking. Facilities available from Friday morning until Sunday evening include:
•    Free camping. (Friday morning until 8am Monday morning.)
•    Excellent facilities, including hot showers and flushing toilets.
•    Trackside parking, to get you right up close to where the action is.
•    Excellent catering facilities.
•    On-site drinking water.
•    Extremely well marshalled and signed course.

Directions to Catton Park, Staffordshire (DE12 8LN):
Approach from the A38 between Lichfield and Burton-on-Trent. Leave the A38 at the junction signposted Alrewas and take the A513 towards Tamworth. After 1.5miles you will go under a narrow railway bridge and take the immediate left turn. After 1 mile you will see the race arena on the right hand side.

Ok just heard from Debbie 3rd placed female soloist.   So a good result.  Not sure on any other yet.

Well it was a great event, one for the club's diary next year. It is run by the people who run Mountain mayhem and has a mini mountain mayhem feel to it.

Jax and Matt the camera arrived first and quickly got the pancakes on. we were all nervous but managed to eat infact Lorraine ate two!

Tom went to the front of the pack for the start of the race as it started with a 800 metre run or in mine Jax's and Lorriane's case a gentle jog. Our bikes and kit were in the pit, a sealed area where you left any and everything you might need during the race. you could not get anything else and you needed to leave the course and enter the pit area as you lapped if you wanted to top up on water etc. I am lucky in the fact that one of my reps at work has won the men's elite solo many many times and his advice was 'don't pit' . Simply keep moving, so i did. You could race in pairs or solo, we all went solo. The course was bone dusty dry. Although no big long hills as at Mayhem it had lots of very steep short climbs and what felt like miles of tight twisty singletrack. It was almost impossible to get into big ring, as soon as you felt , well maybe , you were into another bit of singletrack.

I found it a really friendly event,. yes i was passed lots by the teams but all asked or warned that they were passing and i got thanks most of the time, even when i mxed my left with my right they were still cheerful!

I set off with the plan just to keep moving, not to stop at all. I had food in my pockets of my top, a full bladder of water,(in my camel bac) and i just kept going. I was using the event as a training ride, so rode every hill, except one, most fell off on that one! This tactic is what got me third. I beat 4th by 8 mins and i had seen her lots. We rode a little of one lap together, but she went ahead. She passed me on my 4th and 6th lap. I had passed her whilst she pitted, though i am not sure if she thought she was lapping me! She was clearly faster than me but my tactics got me third! I have to say i was really thrilled to get that. I couldn't believe it when i heard. Lorriane and Jill had left as i assured them that no way was i on the podium!

All us girls made the top 10. Lorraine was 6th or 7th and jax 9th.

The men's field was huge Tom did one lap more than me and was 54th! He could have pushed and done 10 but it would only have moved him up to 45th.

same time next year!

Great result …. hope that has increased your confidence?  Another 3rd when will you get to go up to the next step!  

Sounds a good event and great result for the build to the Mayhem.

send any pics to Dan or myself for the website.  

great pictures well done Matt The Camera!

Well done Debbie - great result you will be fine for solo Mayhem..positive mindset and tactics appear to be the way forward-  also well done to everyone else